Review of "The WWII Memoir of Ralph B. Schnaps: 500 Days of Front Line Combat," edited by Theresa M. Deane and Joseph E. Schnaps

 Review of

The WWII Memoir of Ralph B. Schnaps: 500 Days of Front Line Combat, edited by Theresa M. Deane and Joseph E. Schnaps, ISBN 0595274005

Four out of five stars

A unique, yet common story

 Ralph Schnaps was born in 1920, so he spent his teen and early adult years experiencing the consequence of the Depression. With money tight, he joined the Minnesota National Guard in 1938, which would have been the first opportunity he had. In February 1941 his unit was inducted into federal service as the 135th. In April 1942 the 135th was the first U.S. division to be deployed to the European theater.

 After some time in England, the 135th boarded ships and participated in the North African landings. They fought their way all the way to Tunisia and participated in the victory celebration in Tunis on May 20, 1943. On September 21, 1943, the 135th landed at Salerno, Italy and this began a long and brutal fight against German forces as they slowly moved northward in Italy. Combat ended in Italy on May 1, 1945.

 As the title implies, Schnaps was in front line combat for most of the time after he first landed in Africa until the end of the war. He presents his experiences in a very matter-of-fact manner, including the times he was wounded and when he saw his buddies turned into mangled messes. He is also critical of the local war profiteers and how they skimmed valuable supplies from the troops at the front. Special ire is reserved for the incompetent and self-serving officers that did more to aid the enemy than win the war.

 While Schnaps’ story is of course unique to him, it is a common one. Fortunately, he lived to tell his story, towards the end he talks about how so few of the original members of the unit were alive during the last months. He also spends a small amount of ink talking about his difficulties assimilating after the war, admitting that he suffered from PTSD. It is a memoir of World War II that is well worth reading.

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